Sick Day
by Mustardlover16
Summary: Injured and on house arrest on Alfred's orders, Babs and Dick find a different way to spend their night. Banter and boredom ensue. Friendship one shot


"Dick. Scoot over. How can someone with an ass as small as yours take up so much couch space?" Barbara barked from the kitchen, where she was busy rummaging through cabinets, in search of preferably high dose painkillers.

"I think you mean 'someone with an ass so fine'. And the answer is simple: It's one of my many talents." Barbara's only response was to slam yet another drawer in frustration. "The drawer closest to the fridge, above where I keep the pans, Babs. The ibuprofen should be right there."

Barbara Gordon plopped onto the couch next to Dick with a grunt, tossing an ice pack to the former Boy Wonder as she did so. "Thanks," He said, applying the pack gingerly to his severely aching ribs, barely containing a pained grunt. His chest ached and he could practically feel his ribs creaking with every breath he took. The pair of Bat-based vigilantes had taken quite a beating defending Bludhaven from Tigershark the night before and, on Alfred's Almighty Orders were confined to bed rest until he saw fit to allow them back out onto the streets.

"I can't believe the butler benched us," Barbara groaned, struggling to open the pill bottle one handed, as her other was encased in a purple cast, already signed by friends and family. Taking it from her hands, Dick deftly twisted off the cap and popped three pills into his palm before passing him to the flaming haired girl beside him.

"Oh, come on Barb, it's not all bad," Dick intoned lightly, grinning winningly at her.

"Since when is the son of The Bat happy about a night off?" Barbara questioned, throwing back her head and dry swallowing the pills. Dick grimaced at the sight and quickly passed her his own glass of water.

"Bruce has always been a stickler. Never one for vacation. Me? I was born on the move, performed for crowds before I was out of diapers. But even circus freaks have an appreciation for the subtle science of taking a break. Besides, today was the first day in a week that I've gotten to see Kori and all I had to do was get a little roughed up." One mention of the Tamaranian Princess had him grinning again which only served to further irritate Babs who had a lot of intel to gather and no way of getting it confined to sick leave.

"Well at least one of us is reaping the benefits that come from a serious beat down," She muttered, fighting hard against the images Dick's doey eyed expression conjured in her head.

"Seriously Babs. Look on the bright side: there are worse people to be grounded with than your childhood friend and secret celebrity crush, the handsome and loveable Richard Grayson.

"Get over yourself, Dick." She said, placing special emphasis on his nick name.

"Wow. Okay, you're really in a foul mood, huh? Good thing I have the perfect way to cheer you up!" Dick leapt from the couch only land on his bad ankle and clutch at his side as searing pain shot its way through his chest, nearly choking him with as he was hit with shockwave after shockwave. His ankle was on fire and it took all he had not to collapse back onto the soft leather sofa and whimper. "That sucked," he wheezed heavily.

"Alright, show off. Take it slow. Maybe Alfred was right to sit you out for a day or two." Barbara muttered, giving the young man a pat on the shoulder and a rather maternal glance.

Shaking his head defiantly Dick rebuffed weakly, "Nah, the old man's a worrywart. I just got the spins for a second." With an unconvincing smile he stood-much more slowly this time, and with far greater effort- and made his way to his sizable movie collection. He ran his fingers against the endless rows of movies, searching for the titles he had in mind. With a cheeky "Ha!" under his breath he plucked two different cases off the shelves and proudly displayed his selections to his less enthusiastic partner against crime. "Breakfast at Tiffany's or The Hunger Games?" Her only response was a noncommittal hum and a scrunch of her nose, as she pushed her glasses from the bridge of her nose onto the top of her head. "Alright, have something better in mind?"

With a smirk she got to her feet and limped as gracefully as she could (which was surprisingly and remarkably graceful) over to his wall of DVDs. With all the sass he could muster he bowed shallowly- to avoid shifting his fractured ribs-and stepped aside to allow her access.

Tossing her ponytail over her shoulder and into the acrobat's face, she grabbed a large stack of movies near the center of the shelf, where she knew his most prized collection sat. Moving as quickly as her twisted knee would allow, she tossed the stack onto the black lacquered coffee table that sat directly in front of the sofa and flounced back onto the sofa with a proud huff. "You better have stocked up on snacks, Mr. Grayson, because we're in for a long night."

"What'd you pick?" Curiosity rang clear in his voice. Mimicking his actions from early she flashed the title of the move on top of her stack.

Dick barked with laughter. "Harry Potter marathon. Should have known."

"You must have hit your head harder than you thought, Dick. Clearly, you're off your game," She mocked, falling into the familiar routine of ribbing and bantering that had been a staple of their relationship since they'd met all those years ago.

"At least you admit I have game," Dick quipped back, striding laboriously to the kitchen. Babs scoffed loudly as she heard the freezer door open and shut again, then the clang of the silverware as he did the same with a drawer by the big, ceramic farmhouse sink opposite the stove. Various other sounds filled the air as Dick continued rifling through drawers and looting for what would likely turn out to be their dinner, midnight snack and, if their resolve lasted, their breakfast the next morning.

"I'm going to go ahead and pop it into the player, Dick."

"Yeah." He acknowledged nodding in the vague direction of the media center that housed everything from his X-Box to his sound system.

"Should I leave some cuddle space for Kori or do I get you all to myself tonight, Richard?" Babs called from where she was awkwardly squatting at the shelf below Dick's large flat screen TV.

"Kori is out on patrol tonight, doing double duty. Trying to make up for my absence. You know how the city gets once those pricks at the docks realize someone isn't out making their job hell."

"Yeah, they like it rough and rowdy, like me," Babs retorted.

Dick faked a gag, "Gah, Babs. I really did not need to know that. TMI."

Babs laughed heartily, eternally grateful that her ribs were fully intact. "TMI? Really? What are you, 12?"

"And three quarters," came his swift reply as he poured what must have been the third bag of microwaveable movie style popcorn into a very large bowl with the Teen Titans logo splashed across it. It must have been a gag gift from years prior when Dick and Kori had both still been part of the team, before the founding members had spread their wings and left the moniker to those who were not currently in their mid twenties.

Babs, with the proper remotes in tow, made her way to the linen closet she knew was right outside the master bedroom of Dick and Kori's not-so-modest studio apartment overlooking downtown Bludhaven. Babs pulled out three of the softest blankets she could find and dragged her haul back to the couch, cuing up the movie once she was settled back onto the couch. Dick joined her on the sofa shortly thereafter, a feast worthy of Hogwarts' Great Hall in tow. It took two trips and three well balanced trays to carry all the goodies Dick and managed to wrestle up into the living room. Dick, ever prepared thanks to his mentor's training, had not held back.

"Wow. Do you think we'll make it through the night, or should I make a store run?" Sarcasm was thick in her smooth, rich voice.

"We may not have the metabolism of a speedster but I don't doubt our ability to eat all of this delicious feast I have laid out tonight." Dick winked, plucking a couple of pieces of popcorn from the mountainous bowl.

"Good. Many make the mistake of underestimating my powers. It never works out in their favor."

"Underestimate Batgirl? Me? I'd never be that stupid," He said, this time around a mouthful of what appeared to be M&Ms.

"Kori has trained you well. Good boy." Babs stroked at his knee before he had the chance to bat it away.

"Bite me."

"Don't tempt me."

"Play the damn movie."

"Yessir." A mock salute accompanied by a deeper than average voice.

As the first few notes of the iconic Hedwig's Theme blasted through the speakers, Dick passed a half pint of ice cream to Babs, helping himself to his own half pint. Before she could ask, a spoon was in her hand.

"Strawberry-my favorite. You remembered." A sudden warmth spread through her. Neither Dick nor Kori was partial to Strawberry ice cream, yet here a sat a half pint of her favorite brand. "How long have you had this movie night planned, Dick?"

"I thought of it this morning. Wally was kind enough to pick up the things I needed from the store. I figured you got your ass handed to you because I asked you for help the other night so the least I could do was try to make it up to you."

"You thought you could buy me with junk food and nerd movies?"

A flash of guilt and quite possibly fear flashed in his cerulean blue eyes. She took pity, "You're damn right you can." She dug her spoon into the ice cream, allowing the sweet frozen treat to melt in her mouth. "And hey-I'd do it all over again, Dick. Whenever you need a hand or a leg or a swift foot to your rear...Whenever you need me, I'll be there. Okay?"

"Me too, Babs. Thanks."

She smiled around her spoon before swallowing quickly and replying, "Always."

Dick smiled then did a double take, glaring deeply upon his second glance. "Did you just quote the Half Blood Prince at me? Absolutely shameless. You're such a dork."

"I know you are but what am I?"

"Oh yeah, real mature, Barb. Who's twelve now?"

"Shut up and watch the movie, Dick."

"It's not like we both don't already have these films memorized."

With a shove equal parts playful and gentle, Barbara rested her head on his heavily muscled shoulder, curling her broken arm against her stomach and enjoying another spoonful of ice cream, settling in for a long night with a good friend and good food. Maybe a night off wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Hours later found the pair passed out on the couch, bodies slumped, heads resting against each other. Starfire entered through the door, shutting it as silently as she was able. She could just see the tops of their heads over the back of the couch. With a soft smile she brushed her hair, slick with sweat, behind her ears as she made her way to examine the wreckage of the movie marathon Dick had told her he was hosting. Rather than attempt to clean the living room-a job she knew would take hours- she ravaged what little was left of their snacks, eyes darting between the two, trying to determine their health with a scrutinizing glance. Fairly assured that they were well, she pulled the blankets more securely around Barbara and then Dick. She brushed her lips lightly against his forehead before pausing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the 20 minute mark and heading for the shower, relieved that both were safe and, for the time being, out of harm's way.

 **A/N: I love Babs and Dick's friendship. They're precious.**

 **Tell me what you think!**


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